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Augustin Oscar d'Artois d'Amboise
Augustin Oscar d'Artois d'Amboise '(27th December 1737 - Present) is a legitimised son of King Charles XII of France and his most influential ''maitresse-en-titre, ''Marie-Louise Clementine d'Artois de Conde. He was the youngest living son of the King with Clementine, and was legitimised when he was three-years-old. He was given the title of ''Marquis de Canillac by his father at his birth, though he quickly became his mother's favourite child and she pressed for a new house to be create for him, which led to the creation of the House of Artois d'Amboise, and his installation as Prince d'Amboise. Augustin was known at court for his extreme vanity, as well as his turbulent relationship with his legitimate relatives by his father's marriage with Queen Marie Fernande. He has been known as extremely handsome, somewhat resembling a younger version of the King, though his mother is clearly visible in much of his appearance. As a legitimised son of the King, he possesses high status at court and is entitled to the style of ''Serene Highness. ''He was known to be his influential mother's favourite child. With the creation of the House of Artois d'Amboise, he quickly rose to even higher status than his elder siblings. Nonetheless, some considered this a part of the "grand scheme of Madame de Guise", trying to keep power. Biography '''Birth and Events Augustin Oscar d'Artois d'Amboise, Prince d'Amboise, was born on December 27th, 1737 at the Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He was immediately acknowledged as the son of the King by his maitresse-en-titre, Madame de Guise. Her mother's husband, the Duc de Guise, who had long suffered cuckolding at the hands of King Charles XII, stormed away from court as he often did upon the birth of one of his wife's illegitimate children. Plans were almost immediately made for his legitimisation, as the King held a certain significant affection for his children by Clementine. Before the legitimisation, however, he was known as Monsieur Augustin de Conde, ''after his mother's birth house. His birth was snubbed by his legitimate half-siblings, as well as other relations from the King's marriage with the Queen. Nonetheless, all of his elder full siblings were present for the birth, as well as a large circle of his mother's friends. King Charles was not present for the birth, as it occurred during a meeting of the ''Conseil du Roi, ''though he attended the birthing chamber after the end of the meeting. Upon hearing of the new arrival while hosting tea with a small group of confidants in her chambers, Queen Marie Fernande commented, ''"Another little wretch to remind me of my husband's infidelity. I do wonder when he'll notice the true colours of his whore". ''His birth was celebrated by his own immediate family, as he was the tenth child of King Charles and Marie-Louise Clementine. In total, he was the fourty-eighth child of the King. The King would arrange for his legitimisation, which would happen in 1740 when he was three. He was created Marquis de Canillac, a title created especially for him. It was said of him that was fortunate to have been born the son of Madame de Guise, for she was the most prominent woman in the King's life. Some called his mother "the Queen in all but name", and the King had pledged to her that he would legitimise all their children together making his status much greater than the children of the King with the junior mistresses essentially by virtue of his birth. It was said that this higher status would end up getting to his head and led to his future snobbish and grandiose attitude. This was especially true as Madame de Guise would shower her attentions upon him above the rest of her children, leading to some resentment among the siblings. '''Childhood and Education' Augustin was brought up in the Palais-Royal, Paris, as the rest of his siblings by his mother and father had been. The Palais-Royal had been, in effect, partially set aside for the young children of King Charles and Madame de Guise, as the King rarely ever took residence there. He was immediately loved by the rest of his family, especially his elder sister Claudette Marie. Claudette was six years his senior, and would dote upon him. The two were close almost immediately from his birth, and it was believed that in the end, Claudette would have a negative effect on Augustin. Some attribute the development of his future vanity and argumentative nature to Claudette, who herself was considered vain. He was officially appointed to the care of Madame d'Amiens, who was the woman hired to be the governess of the children of the King and de Guise. Being the governess of the illegitimate children of the King was a dubious and tiring honour, as fewer resources were allocated to the illegitimate children and more effort would have to be put in by the governess. As a result, d'Amiens was cold and sour toward the children. Augustin would develop a resentment of her. Augustin did well in his studies overall, though he developed quite an ego. From a young age, Augustin was charming and well-spoken. His almost unique ability to manipulate through charm even worked with his mother, with Augustin quickly becoming her favourite child. As a Légitimé, ''he did not receive the same standard of education afforded to his legitimate counterparts. Nonetheless, his mother did everything she could to assure him a good standard of formal education. It was clear to many that Madame de Guise held a greater affection for Augustin than she did for her other children, especially those by her husband. He was often seen as the "golden boy" of the family, with some claiming he was quickly outshining his siblings due to his mother's favour of him. It was said that Madame de Guise spared no expense in assuring the young Augustin a future, even when the King refused to spend more on the legitimised children. It was recognised that he always did his best to look better and more accomplished than his siblings, with him putting a great amount of effort into presentation and appearance. Even from a young age he had a certain obsession with fashion and grandeur, which he believed would be instrumental in dazzling others and securing himself a name and role. He was often noted for his picky nature during his childhood. One tutor commented, however, ''"He is not as intelligent as he believes he is." Adolescence As he grew, Augustin's extreme vanity became more apparent. He would spend hours on end ensuring he looked perfect, growing angry with the servants whenever he believed there was a flaw or an imperfection. He set himself apart from many of his siblings by clearly taking more of his personality from his mother rather than his father. King Charles was only visible in Augustin's appearance, though there was clearly the image of Madame de Guise in him too. WIPCategory:House of Artois Category:House of Artois de Conde Category:18th Century Births Category:Légitimés de France Category:Descendants of King Charles XII Category:French Princes Category:French Marquis